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This paper records the Polish aspects of P. F. Lazarsfeld's sociointellectual biography and examines his impact on Polish sociology. The analysis is divided into three chronological parts. In the 1930s, Lazarsfeld's empirical work inspired Polish sociologists in their studies on unemployment. In the late 1950s and 1960s, his model of empirical social research shaped the style of sociological practice in Poland. In the 1990s, some of Lazarsfeld's substantive contributions, mainly in the area of election studies, were taken up in Polish sociology. Lazarsfeld's influence on Polish sociology was conditioned by changes in Polish society and sociology, which is emphasized in this analysis. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Abstract In this article I discuss the social roles of Polish sociologists in the period between 1945 and 1989. Sociologists in Poland are assumed to have constituted a heterogeneous group representing various attitudes towards the political system. Over time, they defined their intellectual role in public discourse differently. This picture remains incomplete without consideration of some crucial aspects: whether there were ways in which sociologists neutralized their participation in building the regime; and the techniques used for evasion and 'legal criticism' of the system. The analysis is based on my comments of well-known sociologists published in the press and in books. Issues discussed include the function of sociology, the role of sociologists in a socialist country, and the position of sociology among other sciences and political doctrines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents information on pilot studies in sociology. Sociological literature distinguishes a number of techniques whose purpose is to validate research tools before proceeding to the research proper. Pilot study, pilot project, pretest, trial survey, test tube survey and pilot survey are those which are mentioned. The practices of the pilot study in Poland, as well as the uses to which its results have been put have, so far, also been very varied. This was occasioned by a number of circumstances such as, different theoretical orientations of the individual researchers and research centres, different work organization in the field research, and different demands concerning the level of the methodological precision adopted by sociologists. The conception of the in-depth pilot study resulted from the conviction that the pilot practices in Poland were not satisfactory in the new phase of the development of sociological investigations. The in-depth pilot study differs greatly from the trial survey which should be undertaken in the case of very extensive investigations. The trial survey has as its aim the preliminary assessment of the distribution of the answers, the preliminary evaluation of the hypotheses, and the like.